My Favourite Film This Summer

My favourite film this summer was Monsters University, the prequel to the 2001 film Monsters, Inc. which has been eagerly awaited by Pixar fans like myself since the first credits rolled when we were introduced to Mike and Sulley twelve years ago. However, like many others, a prequel was not what I expected nor wanted when a sequel was officially announced in 2010.

 I had originally wanted to see a continuation of Boo’s story, and to see what happened after Sulley opened the door back into the human world at the end of Monsters, Inc.. Instead, Pixar made its first prequel, a story about how Mike and Sulley became who they were in the first film, how they met and how they fared at college. They couldn’t have picked a better plot, or a more appropriate time to release this film.

This film was made for people like me; children who had sat down twelve years ago and could believe that here were monsters in their wardrobes, who have now grown up into young people having to make life decisions and go to new schools. It was a comforting message to their original target audience that they don’t have to worry if college didn’t go to plan or if life doesn’t turn out quite the way they had hoped. It showed us that college, where a large proportion of original target audience are heading this autumn, is different for everyone, and even if it doesn’t work out, there are other ways do live your dreams.

As a person afraid of change, a film featuring two of my all-time favourite characters going through similar situations as I was about to face coming out in the summer before I started sixth form was an amazing coincidence. During the brief hour and a half it was on I already began to feel less afraid because I knew that I could do anything if I tried, thanks to Mike Wazowski.

I immediately took a liking to Mike’s character in the film. Whereas in Monsters, Inc. he was a comic relief role, and not as important to the main plot as Sulley was, in Monsters University Mike is hard-working, driven and committed to his lifelong dream of being a Scarer. He is also ridiculously optimistic, as he believes he will still become a Scarer if he works hard enough, despite being repeatedly told he is not at all scary. Despite this, he continues to try hard and becomes the best in his class. Mike’s determination is inspiring to me because even though he ultimately fails at his dream by being expelled from the college, he still perseveres and becomes one of the best Scarers there is despite no one believing in him, showing that you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Monsters University was also incredibly funny, complete with references to Monsters, Inc. and other Pixar films which Pixar nerds like me live for, and also quite moving to Sulley’s character develop from an arrogant, lazy student to the lovable character who takes care of Boo in Monsters, Inc.. This film, like most Pixar films, left me feeling happy and inspired to do my best, because if characters I have looked up to all my life can succeed no matter, then so can I.